Metal-cutting device.



F. s. AUSTIN. METAL CUTTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7.11916.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET If IIJ I'1 S. AUSTIN. METAL CUTTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.'7, |916.

A Patented Man. 26, 1918.`

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 84'3- 4@ II '2 M F. s. AUSUN. METAL CUTTINGA DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1916..

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3' i .atene amante nien FFAN S. USTN, 0F PJETSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSGNR TO' @AREG-HYDROGEN @0. F MEREGA, 0F PETTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,-A CORPORAT'IN 0F DELAWAFJE.

:WHEEL-CUTTING DEVICE.

' spec-incarica or netter-s raient.

Patented lidar. 2d., 19M.

, applicants niet april r, raie. serial no'. same.

-. citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful improvement in' Metal-Cutting Devices; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates 'to an improved construction of apparatus for'cutting shapes from metal by means of the Oxy-acetylene torch, though it is to be understood that the invention may be applied to other purposes than that specified. The apparatus, hbwever,is designed particularly to facilitate metal cutting by flame, and the object thereof is to provide an extremelyaccurate ap paratus of simple construction made mainly.'

of parts which may be readily cast or staiaped, and which may be easily assemble A further object is to provide a device of this character, which has a very considerable universal range of movement, and one which may be readily adjusted to diderent positions of the matrix of the pattern and of the work on the supporting table.-

With these objects in view, the invention consists in a construction and arrangement of parts, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; Fig. 3 is a front elevation; Fig. 4 is a side elevation in enlarged view of details of the pattern-tracing stylus; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the part, shown in Fig. 4;- and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation partly in section of a modified form of the stylus and torch supporting parts. Fig. 7 is a view of the pattern plate in section; Figs. 8 and 9 are modied views of a second form of the apparatus.

ln the embodiment of the invention herein selected for illustration, 1 indicates a supporting work table, which as shown consists of several standards 2,' the longitudinal frame beams 3, and rigid end members 4. From this table extends to the rear a plurality of arms 5, which are turned up as at 6, at the extreme rear forming guides 7 for the supporting-rail 8 for the frame proper.

rlhe upturned members 6 of the arms 5 are provided with bearing lugs 9 in which are mounted short'vertical shafts, such as 10, threaded intermediate their lengths. 'lhe upper end of each shaft is provided with. a bevel pinion 11 in mesh with bevel pinions 12 on a transverse shaft 13 at the rear of the machine, which shaft 13 is provided. with hand-wheels 14; the frame-carrying beams 8 are provided with threaded lugs 15 threaded on the vertical shafts 10 so that as the hand-wheel shaft 13 is rotated the carriage frame may be raised or lowered as desired to accommodate the work. lThe rear sup# porting-rail 8 of the machine frame is-provided with ball-bearing raceways 16, and.

between these raceways is mounted the rear frame member 17 of the movable carriage Aframe proper, which is also provided with ball raceways, as shown in Figs. 2. rlhe rear frame member 17 has rigidly secured thereto the forwardly extending arms 18.,

These arms, as indicated in Fig. 2., have the ball-bearing raceways 19 between which are mounted the extension arms 20. 'lhe rear end of each of these extension arms is provided with a stop member 21 adapted to contact with studs 22 near the forward end of the arms 18 to limit the forward movement or extension of the members 20. 'lheA extension arms 20 are rigidly connected with the member 23, which extends longitudinally across the work table, and serves as the support for the tracer stylus and also for the torch or other tool by which the cutting or other reproducing operation is to be performed. rlhe tracing stylus may be of several preferred forms, but in the embodiment here shown, and particularly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the same comprises a sleeve 24 having ball-bearings 25 at its upper and lower ends, and this sleeve 24 may be formed rigid with a split bracket 26 adapted to engage the member 23 and may be clamped thereto by means of a thumb-screw 27 mounted in the lugs `28 of the clamping bracket. YWithin the sleeve 24 is mounted a second sleeve 29 having a bearing head 30 at the top to bear on the upper ball-race 25, and being threaded along its lower end 30' to receive the ball-bearing cone 31 engaging the lower ball raceway 25. rFhis sleeve 29 also has threaded upon its lower end an internally threaded shank. 32, having the aremounted the supporting and traveling wheels 35 for supporting and carrying the tracer stylus. The bearing shank 32 is split and provided near itsupper end with lugs 36, through which by means of a thumb-4 screw 37 the' bearing-shank is adapted to be held in adjusted position on the sleeve 29. It will be seen, therefore, that the tracer stylus and its supporting parts may be adjusted to upper or lower position in accordance'with the relative position of the Work thereto.

As will be seen from Fig. 4, Ithe tracer stylus consists of a finger 38 mounted on the shank 32 and is curved to bring its tracer point 41 centrally beneath the axis `of the stylus support.` VThis linger is provided with a square stem fitting within the bearing 32a and engages with a spring 38a which forces vthe linger against the pattern to be traced. In accurate work such as true circular and long straight cuts, great skill is required to guide the stylus along the pattern, evenly, and Iin order to provide for exact duplication of pattern, a grooved pattern plate is employed, the outline of the pattern being out into the plate; such a pattern plate is shown in Fig. 7,' and the grooved pattern indicated by the numeral 52a. Vhen used with a pattern of this kind, the spring pressed finger is held in the groove and insures accurate tracing of the pattern. In order that the stylus may be caused to travel under power over or around the pattern plate, a. power shaft 42 is mounted within the sleeve 29 and is journaled therein. The upper end of this shaft 42 is provided with a worm gear 43 meshing with a worm 44 on the shaft 45 of a small electric motor 46 supported on the bracket 26 of the stylus member. The lower end of the shaft 42 telescopes within a stub shaft 43a and is connected thereto by the key 43". By this arrangement vertical adjustment is provided. The shaft 43a is provided with a bevel gear 47 ,meshing with a gear 48 on the shaft 34 and through diiferential gears 49, conveys rotation to the traveling wheels'35. By means of this differential gear arrangement, the Wheels 35 will be enabled to follow accurately the path determined by the contact of the stylus 38 with the pattern. It will be understood, however, that the maintaining of the stylus in contact with the pattern will be determined by the operator in guiding the frame generally. Upon the Work table members 3, may be mounted any desired number of movable supporting beams 50, in this instance shown as I-beams, and on these I-beams is mounted a supporting tablet or platfornnl upon which the pattern and the Work may be supported. The pattern is indicated generally at 52. The outline traced by the torch or other working tool is indicated at 53. As here indicated, this outline or cut may 'be formed directly in the tablet 5l, which in such instance may comprise the work piece. On lthe other hand, it may be understood Athat the piece to be cut may be supported in a. suitable manner in position beneath the tool or torch. The torch may be indicated generally at 54, Figs. 1 and 3, and may be any desired form of Oxy-acetylene or other cutting tool, as desired.

From the above description, it will be seen that the apparatus provides -a substantially rectangular and'universally movable frame which is extremely flexible in its movements by reason of its several ball-bearings in its supporting parts and, at the same time, is extremely rigid against distortion. Furthermore, being in the shape of a more or less rectangular frame, it is possibleA for the operator by grasping the forward frame member 23 practically at any point, but preferably near the stylus, to guide the cutting tool and the tracin stylus accurately with reference to the -deslred pattern.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 6, instead of having but la single series of supporting arms, such as 5, at rthe rear of the machine, there may be sets of supporting arms 55 both at the rear and the front of the machine, said supports having ball raceways 56 extending transversely of the machine, and within and between these raceways may be mounted the opposite frame members 57, which are united by transverse frame members 58. The

v described.'

In Figs. 8 and 9, I have illustrated another form of the invention in which the rear supporting rails 65 are arranged horizontally, and are adapted to be adjusted vertically by means of a rack 66 and pinion 67. Between these supporting rails, mounted on ball-bearings, is the movable member 68. This member has a box 69 through which the arm 70 passes. This arm is adjutable transversely of the movable member 68 and is held in adjusted position by the set-screw 71.

Supported onv ball-bearings in the arm 70 is the extension frame 72 having the head 73. This head s made in the form of a 4split-sleeve and is adapted to receive and provide adjusting means vfor the rod 74, upon which is `carried thek stylus and tool.

The work-table in this instance is provided with amovable top or platen 75, which permits of a wider range of work in a small floor space,l in a smaller 'floor space for the machine frame than is possible with a fixed v type of table. The arm 70 may7 be moved through its bearing on the carriage 68 so'as to bring the tool-holder close up to the rear of the table. By this arrangement the full area of the movable table may be worked upon when in closed position.

While I have illustrated particularembodiments of the invention, it is to be under- .Stood that the same may be Yaltered in details and relative arrangements of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claimis:

1. In a cutting-device, vthe combination VwithY a work-table, of supporting-arms mounted thereon, a transverse bearing member having vertical adjustment on said arms, said bearing member having ball-bearing raceways, a rear frame member mounted'between said raceways, said rear frame member having forwardly-extending extensible arms, a transverse member mounted on said extensible arms and parallel to the rear frame member and forming a. support for the tracer stylus and a working tool over said work-table.

2. A cutting-device comprising a worktable, a substantially rectangular framemountedthereover, said frame having lateralrectillnear movement in a rigid supportlng member, and having forwardly eX- tensible Aarms connected with said part mov-V ing in said rigid supporting member, and having also a transverse front frame-member forming a support for the tracing stylus and a working tool above said work-table.'

3. A cutting-device comprising a Worktable, supportingarms extending to the rear thereof and upwardly curved, a transverse bearing member adjustably mounted on the lip-curved portions of said arms, means for adjusting the same thereon, saidbearing member having a longitudinal ball raceway, a frame-member slidably mounted in said raceway, said frame-member having forwardly-extending arms rigidly mounted thereon, ball raceways in said forward eX- tensions, slidable members mounted longitudinally in said forwardly extending raceways and united by a front transverse member, said front memberforming a support for the tracing stylus and the working tool.

4. A cutting-device comprising a worktable, supporting arms adjacent thereto, a substantially rectangular frame mounted on said arms and adjustable vertically thereon, said frame having lateral movement with respect to said supporting arms, said frame having also forward extensible members and a rigid transverse member secured thereto whereby sald transverse member may have universal movement with respect to said work-table, a working tool and a tracing stylus mounted on said transverse member,

said tracing stylus being. supported on a- -wheel carriage, said carriage having universal turmng movement with respect to said transverse supporting member, a motor, said transverse supporting member hav- JOHN F. WILL, JOHN R. KELLER. 

